WASHINGTON, D.C. Aug. 23 (TLC News) – Ron Motley, a legendary trial lawyer known for spearheading the $245 billion settlement against the American tobacco industry in the early 90s, died this week in Charleston, S.C. He was 68.

Mr. Motley was inducted into the Ten Leaders of Civil Trial & Personal Injury Law of South Carolina in 2008.

According to The New York Times, Motley “built a fortune out of high-risk cases … leading the litigation team that helped bring about the largest civil settlement in American history” against the tobacco industry.

Several Ten Leaders attorneys, including Christopher Placitella of New Jersey, were part of Motley’s team of lawyers nationally who litigated the settlement against the tobacco industry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/business/ron-motley-who-tackled-big-tobacco-dies-at-68.html